In November, we won a battle. It had been a long time since we had one of those. But the war rages on. We have the upper hand for now, but the fight isn't over.
Our enemies were not defeated. They only suffered a set back. They will do as we did in 2000 and 2004, step back and regroup. But we can look back at their successes in 2000 and 2004 and see how they came to lose what seemed for a long time, an insurmountable lead.
The country is in a tailspin and we need someone who can pull us out of it in a big freaking hurry. We need a political equivalent of Captain Sullenberger to take the stick and bring us in safely.
We the people, on the other hand, need to take care of our own houses. We can't sit in the La-Z-Boy at home crying over our lost wages, tuning into Lost or Desperate Housewives, while our lives swirl down the shitter. We have to do our part to salvage the legacy our parents and grandparents left for us.
Here are a few of the things we can do:
1. Turn off the TV - Jesus Fucking Christ, this idiot box will be the death of us all. It is only a single form of entertainment, not a replacement for using your brain. If you 're hooked and still need that boob tube fix, here's what you do. Pick your five favorite shows and watch them, TIVO them or whatever. Pick a good time, like 7:30 on Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursday. Watch no more than an hour at a time. Only an hour, two if it's a movie. Make two of your five shows educational (No, Fox News does not qualify) Something from Discovery or the History Channel. If you can't find 5 shows, make it 3 or 2 but not more than five. Be strong, there are other things to do.
2. Do Something Creative - Hobbies, home projects, gardening, anything that involves working with your brain and your hands. For example, I do leather work and I like to garden. When the season is upon us, I will start a small container box garden on the deck of my apartment. The challenge will be to select the right plants for the conditions. Just cruise through my links and you'll find a few folks who'll be more than willing to give you a head start. Here, here, and here for starters. Ask and you will receive. As for leather work, I have to fix the sewing machine so that one is on hiatus. Hand sewing leather bags is hard on the digits. Let me know in the comments what hobbies or activities interest you with links.
3. Get Serious - No shit here. This isn't tin hat conspiracy theory bullshit. Plan for the worst. My friend, Monkeyfister, has lots of ideas and suggestions for becoming self sufficient. The best advise is to get involved in activities that will sustain you and your family through rough weather if it comes right down to it. Stockpile non-perishable food, medicine, drinkable water, simple appliances that do not need external power. If you are qualified and responsible, you may want a firearm. Protecting your family is the idea here if the bottom falls out of the country's political structure. This also works as a hedge against natural disasters. Growing your own food will be a godsend in this case.
4. Get Active - Don't sit on your fucking hands! Let your worthless leaders know how you feel. Call them on the phone. Write them a letter. If you send an email, back it up with a snail mail. Get your neighbors involved too. Join a Meet-up in your area. Connect with people in your city that feel as passionate about this shit as you do. Hold our congress critters' feet to the fire on the Stimulus Bill and any add-ons that come later. The crap that went on the last eight years would not have happened if people had paid attention. Don't rely on the traditional media for your news. Get it from other sources. Compare the stories. Search the Web. Be informed.
There are other things to do. If I missed an important one, let me know and I'll add it to the list. The reality of it is simply that We, the People, need to get off our lazy asses and start being Americans again. My ancestors didn't stop working in the woods to watch Oprah, they didn't whine and snivel about hangnails and boo-boos so they could stay home from work. Shit, most of our ancestors didn't even have weekends. They certainly didn't have vacations. They worked until they died so that their kids could go to school and live a life that was better than theirs. Are we made of the same stuff? Can we be as strong and dedicated as our great grandparents were?
The Boomers are an 'entitlement' generation. They feel that success is their by reason of entitlement. They need not work for it, it must be given up by the previous generation. The work ethic suffered a great injustice. Luckily, it wasn't killed outright. There are those who never really got out of the hole financially. They still worked the farms, in the factories or in the woods hard as before. They never got the good government grants or the great retirement plans. They had to work just as hard as their fore bearers did. Many of us come from those folks.
So there it is. Deal with it. Right now, the Republican Party is doing everything in its power to derail the Stimulus Package for no other reason than it gives Obama a win. They'll trash the country just to keep Obama from being proven right. That borders on treason. And not to be undone, our intrepid Media is following the Repubs every word like a bunch of lovesick teenagers.
Don't get me started on that...
So Mote It Be,
David A.
